Etteilla's Unknown Philosopher
- Heather
- Jun 23
- 4 min read
Updated: 2 days ago
Who was Etteilla's Philosophe Inconnu?
The Seven Nuances of the Hermetic Philosophical Work
Etteilla, the anagrammed pseudonym of Jean-Baptiste Alliette (1 March 1738 – 12 December 1791), is best known for his works related to the tarot. However, he also examined many other topics in his various books. His work entitled, "Les Sept Nuances de L'Oeuvre Philosophique Hermétique.." or, "The Seven Nuances of the Hermetic Philosophical Work.." from around 1785 is an exploration into his thoughts related to alchemy and Hermetic philosophy and highlights Etteilla’s broader interests and pursuits while also revealing some of his influences.
An Interesting Passage
While translating this work, I spotted an interesting passage, "Le flocelie, le vitriol, le sel commun, l’urine, la salive, la rosée, la cendre, le charbon, enfin nombre de choses dont a particulièrement parlé le Philosophe inconnu (*) (pour se moquer d’une Assemblée de faux Philosophes, qui chacun dans leur sentiment, n’étoient que de vrais faux à l’égard de la chose unique,) ne sont pas à mépriser, parce que tout, dans la Nature, et imprégné de cette divine chose."
English translation:
"The flos cœli, the vitriol, the common salt, the urine, the saliva, the dew, the ash, the coal, finally a number of things of which the Unknown Philosopher (*) has particularly spoken (to mock an Assembly of false Philosophers, who, each in their sentiment, were only true fools in regard to the unique thing,) are not to be despised, because all, in Nature, is impregnated with this divine thing."
Who is this Unknown Philosopher?
This had me thinking, who was this Unknown Philosopher that Etteilla was referring to?
Louis Claude de Saint-Martin?
Although he would have been familiar with Louis Claude de Saint-Martin (1743-1803) whom we most famously recognize today as the “Unknown Philosopher” due to his pseudonym, “Philosophe Inconnu”, Etteilla seems to be referring to a work that was published in the 17th century, long before Saint-Martin was born, bearing the same nom de plume. I was able to deduce this because luckily Etteilla included a footnote attached to his reference of Le Philosophe Inconnu (*).
Research into Chez d'Houry
Upon researching, I have located several works from the 17th century that mention the term “Philosophe Inconnu”. Luckily having the name of the publisher helped me to narrow it down.
One of the works I found definitively confirms that this pseudonym was in use before Saint-Martin's later adoption of it. Le Tombeau de la Pauvreté or, The Tomb of Poverty written by Sieur Henri d’Atremont under the pseudonym, “Philosophe Inconnu” was first published in 1672 and deals with the transmutation of metals and alchemy.
The book that Etteilla is referring to is Les Aventvres dv Philosophe Inconnv, en la Recherche et en l’Inuention de la Pierre Philosophale or The Adventures of the Unknown Philosopher, in the Research and the Invention of the Philosopher's Stone written by Dom Jean Albert Bélin. This book, first published in 1646, narrates the adventures of an unknown philosopher in search of the philosopher’s stone. This work’s Third Book describes the exact scenario that Etteilla references—an assembly of false philosophers, as quoted here taken directly from the book (my translation):
“ARGUMENT OF THE THIRD BOOK This Book declares how the Philosopher found himself in an assembly of 12 Chemists who called themselves Philosophers, where they all said their opinions concerning the Philosopher’s Stone, which were so ridiculous that the unknown Philosopher could not help but to laugh and to mock them..”
Copies and editions of both books I have mentioned were published by d'Houry, a well known bookseller and printer in Paris who published other books about alchemy as well, some anonymously.
The example in the picture above of Le Tombeau de la Pauvreté shows an address that is different from the one that Etteilla lists in his footnote. The example in the image is a second edition. I did find an unrelated book that lists the publisher as, "Chez d'Houry, Imprimeur-Libr. de Mgr le Duc d'Orléans & de Mgr le Duc de Chartres, rue Haute-Feuille., près cellee des Deux Portes, M. DCC. LXXX." or, "Chez d'Houry, Printer-Library of Mgr the Duke of Orléans and of Mgr the Duke of Chartres, rue Haute-Feuille., near that of the Deux Portes, M. DCC. LXXX." [1780]. This demonstrates that Chez d'Houry was indeed located on rue Haute-Feuille in the 1780s and supports my theory of him referring to a later edition of an older work.
Michael Sendivogius and the Society of Unknown Philosophers
The 1646 Letters to the Society of Unknown Philosophers, attributed to Michael Sendivogius, are often cited as one of the earliest recorded uses of the term Philosophe Inconnu. However, I find this attribution to be problematic because his year of passing seems to be uncertain. Most sources seem to agree that Sendivogius passed away in 1636, a decade before the letters' publication. This chronological discrepancy makes their true authorship and date questionable (at least for me) and diminishes their reliability as the definitive origin of the term.
In contrast, Les Aventvres dv Philosophe Inconnv, en la Recherche et en l’Inuention de la Pierre Philosophale (The Adventures of the Unknown Philosopher, in the Research and the Invention of the Philosopher's Stone), written by Dom Jean Albert Bélin and first published in 1646, may provide a more solid example. This text has a verifiable author and date, making it a stronger contender as one of the earliest confirmed uses of the term in esoteric literature.
Louis Claude de Saint-Martin and le Philosophe Inconnu
While Saint-Martin was undoubtedly influenced by Böhme’s mystical philosophy, the 17th-century French alchemical current represents a possible additional (or alternative) source of inspiration for Saint-Martin’s later adoption of the same pseudonym. This would merit further scholarly investigation and remains an interesting avenue for future research.
Comment below and let me know your thoughts!
and please check out my translation of Etteilla's Les Sept Nuances on Amazon
